The modern urban love drama "Dreaming of the Lion" produced by iQiyi is currently being broadcast, which tells the story of Yu Fei, a female elderly student of Peking Opera, and Bai Feili, a stage producer, from contradictions to mutual understanding, and in the process of getting along, they save each other and persistently pursue their dreams.
Striving for excellence on the stage and having no remorse for the heartbeat, this is the white jade in Yao Chi's eyes, and it is also what he wants to be. Yao Chi said that he hopes to touch people's hearts through his works, and always be the child who has dreams and is crazy about it...
Bai Feili is protecting others and also needs to be protected by others
Reporter: What is the most attractive thing about the role of Bai Feili?
Yao: For me, the most touching and heart-wrenching thing about the role of Bai Feili is that he is trying to protect others with his own strength. And under the cloak of strength, he is just a boy who needs to be healed.
Reporter: What are the similarities between yourself and your characters?
Yao: He and I had a part of overlapping experiences, and I used to be very sensitive when I was teased growing up for some reason, and we were all very persistent.
Reporter: During the filming process, what did you add to your own understanding of the character? What do you think is the most difficult part of interpreting?
Yao: I want to show the softness and fragility of Bai Feili, and many of Bai Feili's more emotional scenes are the most important scenes for me. Combing through his subtext in these scenes, designing various movements, and understanding him became the most difficult part for me.
Reporter: Bai Feili is an antique stage producer in the play, what kind of preparation did you do before shooting?
Yao: I did some research to try to understand some of the culture of the second dimension and the ancient wind circle. I found that although this circle is niche, it will really give their fans comfort, and everyone creates a lot of positive energy and happy memories through various online and offline communication, starting from anime, which is really great! Like me and my fan friends, even if real life is not so satisfactory, a few minutes of songs are enough to pull us back from the trough.
Reporter: In your opinion, what qualities and professional skills are required to become a good stage producer?
Yao: Because it is a relatively niche art, it needs to have complete love, and it needs to be very able to endure hardships, very perseverance, and endure loneliness. In addition, it is also necessary to have a very high level of professional skills, dare to think and dare to do, and at the same time have the ability to persuade people.
Reporter: What is your personal interpretation of the collision and integration of stage drama and Peking Opera?
Yao: In the play, the fusion of the two-dimensional stage drama and the national essence of Peking Opera has left excellent works that break the circle, which is also what we hope to see outside the play. I hope that our traditional culture will be seen by more young people and show different colors in the new era, which is what the creators want to convey through this work.
Always hot, always full of strength
Reporter: The theme of "Dreaming of a Lion" is love and persistence, what kind of resonance and perception do you have about this?
Yao: I think every kid who goes crazy for his dreams is amazing. Having a dream, looking at the goal with great expectation and suffering from gain and loss, this is a complex and beautiful state that cannot be described in words. I wish that all those who have dreams and stand up for them (including me) will always be full of blood and strength.
Reporter: Many of the participants in this performance are young singers, are there any interesting tidbits during the shooting?
Yao: Everyone doesn't sing often on the spot, but we will often cosplay those scenes like "the domineering president falls in love with me" and make everyone laugh.
Reporter: In the play, the feelings of Bai Feili and Yu Fei have been divided and combined several times, how do you interpret their love?
Yao: Two people actually grow up together and heal each other. Bai Feili met Yu Fei, not only harvested love, but also gained her most important heroine, and at the same time defeated the heart demon. Yu Fei, on the other hand, opened a new treasure chest, gained different possibilities, and had a new perspective on art and life.
Reporter: As an actor, how does Yao Chi understand acting skills? In what ways do you usually improve your acting skills?
Yao: For myself, the best way is to observe, steal from others in each crew, and continue to grow. I still have a lot of room, and I believe that there is no end to the understanding and interpretation of the play, and I will continue to learn.
Reporter: In addition to singers and film and television, what other areas do you want to challenge?
Yao: In the future, I hope that I can slowly walk in a broader direction along the current road, and I want to learn directing, photography, and many, many things. I'm a person who follows my feelings, and I may one day jump out of some strong idea and run to do it.